Father’s Day

 “Who do you love more?”, asked the relative who had come home to the little boy who just had shown off his talents with the tabla. “Amma, of course”, he said loudly, extricated himself from the hold of the relative and ran off to play with his friends. 

Both the parents were beaming at the response. Soon the visiting relatives were gone, and quiet prevailed at home. The wife chose to ask the husband. “Do you feel jealous that our son always says he loves me more than you?”

The husband said, “I feel proud. It was the same with me too. I always said I loved my Amma more than my Appa when anyone asked while I was a kid. It feels like my son too is continuing the tradition”. 

“I sometimes have felt a little scared that you might take it otherwise. Thought I might voice it”. 

“There’s nothing to feel scared about. It is but natural for most children to prefer one parent over the other, and the parents feigning mock disappointment, etc. But, I doubt if you’d be upset had our son preferred me more”. 

“I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it. As a child I always loved my dad more”. 

“From my own growing up experience, I can say this. The love for Amma among sons stays constant throughout. While the love for Appa grows with time and age”. 

“Is that so?”

“As a kid, I remember even resenting my dad and trying to be as different from him as possible. Now, I see all that was futile”. 

“But, I don’t want our son to be like you”. 

“You mean you don’t want him to love me more as he grows older?”, he said with a smile. 

“No, bum! I don’t want him to grow up resenting and resisting his Appa”. 

“Why do women want to control everything once they’re married?”

“Because they’ve missed out on all that until then. Don’t you generalise, now. Let me call my Dad and wish him before I forget!”

“I’ll do that too. But when I wish him, he will chastise me for starting these new rituals!” 

“Men are impossible! They find fault with everything!”, she put a firm end to the discussion with that, and walked away with her phone in hand.